Gaming, whether done on the ubiquitous personal computer (PC) or console platform, is fast gaining popularity worldwide. As a result, the PC and video game industries are posting record sales for portable and console hardware, software and accessories. Further, with the vast improvement of Internet technology, online gaming is also poised to take off as the next wave for PC gaming.
Typically, players use human interface devices (HIDs) such as keyboards and mice to interact with PC games. The PC games typically belong to genres ranging from First Person Shooter (FPS) games to Massive Multiplayer Online Role Player Games (MMORPGs). In order to play the PC games, the players generally use a combination of the “WASD” keys of the keyboard and the mouse as means for interacting with the PC games. Such a control scheme is commonly referred to as the “WASD/Mouse” combination. The “WASD” keys typically provide movements for game characters including forward, backward, left and right sidestepping. Additionally, the mouse is used for controlling the game characters' movement directions in which the players control the game characters for character interaction when they play the PC games.
Modifier keys such as “CTRL”, “WINDOWS”, “ALT” and “SHIFT” are shortcut keys used in conjunction with other keyboard keys for most PC games. The shortcut keys are typically used for expanding on additional game playing functions for the PC games. Although the shortcut keys enable the players to have more game control functions for game play, inappropriate positioning of the shortcut keys can create discomfort for players who frequently use the shortcut keys during game play. The design of most modern keyboards locates the modifier keys around non-ergonomic areas of the keyboards, which are typically on the lower right and left corners. Consider a right-handed player who controls the mouse with the right hand and controls the “WASD” keys on the keyboard with the left hand during game play. The player might encounter inconvenience when attempting to use the left hand to access the modifier keys. As a result, many players suffer from wrist strain and pain after PC game playing sessions. Such situations thus bring about decreased satisfaction in overall gaming experience for many players.
US Patent No. US2006/209014A1 (prior art) discloses a system and method in which pen gestures enable a mode to be entered in which a computing device acts as if a modifier key was being pressed. The system and method comprise using low-level software drivers linked to an Operating System's (OS) kernel for capturing and recognizing input feedbacks in the form of user gestures made via input devices such as a mouse, a pen digitizer or a touch digitizer. Based on the user gestures detected, one or more modes corresponding to pressing a keyboard modifier key or issuing one-time commands or the like can be initiated by the low-level software drivers. However, such a system and method are not suitable for PC gaming implementations since the input devices are typically used for controlling movements of game characters in PC games using user gestures. Hence, the system and method as described in the prior art can result in considerable confusion for gamers when selecting the correct gaming commands to use.
Hence, there affirms a need for a system and method for addressing at least one of the foregoing problems of using HIDs for playing PC games.